Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Antonio Conte told Man Utd target ‘ticks every single box’ for Tottenham, with £51m move making ‘perfect sense’

Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez

A pundit has explained why Tottenham must win the race for Manchester United-linked wide man Denzel Dumfries.

The right wing-back has established himself as an integral player for Inter Milan since joining the Italian giants from PSV in August last year. And he is also a regular in Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands team.

Dumfries has played every single minute of his country’s World Cup campaign so far. And he even got on the scoresheet with his sixth international goal during the 3-1 round of 16 victory over USA.

Inter are eager to keep Dumfries for the long run. And they are protected by his contract, which doesn’t run out until summer 2025.

However, Inter may struggle to prevent the Dutchman’s exit if Premier League bids for him come in next year.

Man Utd are big fans of the 26-year-old. They believe he is the perfect right-back to play in Erik ten Hag’s system.

The Red Devils will likely sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka as he is not part of Ten Hag’s plans. And they will try to use some of that money to fund a move for Dumfries.

Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Dumfries’ situation ahead of a potential move, while Tottenham have been tentatively linked with him.

Tottenham urged to go after Inter star

Recent reports from Italy state Inter will demand between €50million and €60m for their player. This works out at £43m-51.5m.

Pundit Noel Whelan was asked about Dumfries during a recent interview with Football Insider. He thinks a Spurs move for the Inter man makes ‘perfect sense’ as he ‘ticks every single box’ for Conte and the club.

“It’s no secret that Conte’s not happy with the options he has, in [Matt] Doherty, [Djed] Spence, and Emerson Royal,” Whelan declared.

“This makes perfect sense after seeing him play on the biggest stage with the Netherlands.

“He ticks every single box as a wing-back, and that is one area that Tottenham are desperate to get right. It’s a crucial position for the way Conte plays.

“Dumfries could be their man if they go all out to beat Chelsea and Man United.

“He’s guaranteed to play week-in, week-out at Spurs – so I think joining them would make a lot more sense.”

As Whelan states, Conte relies heavily on wing-backs as part of his 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formations. For example, at Inter, he utilised Achraf Hakimi on the right flank. And during Inter’s title-winning campaign in 2020-21, Hakimi registered seven goals and 10 assists in Serie A.

At Spurs, Conte has become frustrated by the quality of his right wing-backs. Emerson and Doherty are not up to standard, while Conte admits Spence was a signing for the club and not him.

Landing Dumfries would immediately solve these issues. He has proven he is able to cut it on the big stage, both at the World Cup and last year’s Euros.

However, Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici will have to be clever when negotiating with Dumfries and his agent. After all, Man Utd and Chelsea will be able to offer him better wages than Spurs.

Meanwhile, Spurs have been told not to sign a Juventus player as his arrival would leave a midfielder ‘fuming’.